New Holy Cross head coach Dan Curran was a bit late for a phone interview on Wednesday morning this past week, something that’s very unlike him.
The reason? Meeting number 12,250 (seemingly) as he continues to settle into the new gig in Worcester. Curran has been going non-stop since taking over a few weeks ago and during that time he’s managed to build quite an impressive staff around him. That staff has been set with a mix of new and old, but a couple spots are still waiting official announcements (most likely due to the background check process) at the time of this story.
“We’re moving fast,” Curran said. “I’d expect all positions to be finalized by the end of the week.”
Curran obviously built a staff before at Merrimack, but that was a decade ago. The general process and recruiting game is much, much different than it was. He was extremely careful to find the perfect fits for Holy Cross with an emphasis on recruiting and finding the best human beings to work with daily.
“It’s just different because there’s more full time positions. “I think the one thing that won’t change whether it’s Merrimack and us being a non-fully funded Division 2 program that became a good D1 program, or being at a place like Holy Cross that’s a little more established, it still comes back to hiring the right people. Resumé is important and football acumen, but it’s more about bringing the right person that’s going to be a fit into your program, into the culture we have here and the one that I want.
“Sometimes, you’ll see a guy like Coach (Bryan) Robbatt – who’s got a pretty good reputation and in New England everybody knows him now – but like, when we hired him (at Merrimack) no one knew who the hell he was. I saw enough of him and felt really good about who he was as a person, so I was like ‘the rest of it is going to figure itself out.’ To his credit, he’s obviously made that come to fruition and become a really, really good coach. So, to me there’s going to be some names some people recognize, but there’s going to be some other ones where we see something in that guy and we believe in him and we think this person is the right person for this role and for this program, and ultimately those guys will end up becoming household names later on in their careers.”
Rich Gunnell (wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator), Brian Vaganek (defensive coordinator), Andrew Dresner (offensive coordinator), Robbatt (associate head coach and special teams coordinator), and Valdamar Brower (defensive line coach)all agreed to join Curran throughout last week and weekend for this new chapter in all of their coaching careers.
“I had a relationship with all of those guys prior to coming here. Coach Gunnell and I go back aways. Back when he was a GA for Boston College…obviously my relationship with Ryan Day is well known and Ryan was a coach back in the day when Rich was playing and that was one of his all time favorite players. I remember as a head coach at Merrimack going to just evaluate prospects at BC’s showcase camps and just getting to know Rich there. He actually recruited my son and my son thought the world of him, so I came into this thing thinking Rich is a guy I wanted to retain if that’s something he wants to do. I know he’s got a great reputation here and the players love him. He’s got a young family, his wife’s from here, he loves Holy Cross, the players love him and I think a great deal of him. It was a natural fit. That was huge to be able to retain him and keep that continuity for the offensive side of the ball.
“Coach Brower’s a guy I’ve known a long time and anyone that’s been around that guy knows he’s a natural, proven leader. You talk about presence, he’s got it. But, it’s in a way where you can tell he’s not forcing it. He’s very comfortable in his own skin and I was looking for a guy to bring to that room that’s going to be really good at building relationships and to be able to develop those football players as men. He’s the perfect fit. Guy went from being a walk on to an All-American at UMass during their glory days. Springfield Central…people assume they just woke up one day and they were an unbelievable program. Like, he built that thing from the ground up and did a great job for Donny Brown at UMass. I think his prior relationship with me and respect we had for each other…he already had his own room (at UMass), but the ability to kind of get back to recruit high school kids and developing guys…it’s a little bit different path – not that there’s anything wrong with it – UMass kind of started going the transfer route, so (Brower) was excited about that. Him and I share a lot of the same values, so it was a natural fit getting him here.”
“Coach Dres is a guy who very early on in my career was literally one of my first hirse and was a really young guy at the time coaching one of the best players I’ve ever coached still do this day. We were an under-funded Division 2 program with Joe Polansky. He was an All American…played pro football for a little bit and ended up coaching with me for a little bit, but Andrew was great with him early in his career. He kind of was what I call my ‘eyes in the sky.’ As a head guy, you’ve got to trust the guys up in the booth and he’s got a ton of experience now. He knows how I see the game and we share a lot of the same visions with how we want to run the offense. He’s had a lot of success at U-Maine and Stony Brook last year, so that was a natural fit and I think he does a great job with the quarterback room too.”
“Coach Robbatt – who I mentioned earlier – he’s a guy that early on in his career didn’t necessarily have the name or the experience level that some other guys have had, but you could see he wanted to be great. He was unbelievable with the players, one of the best I’ve ever been around. He’s going to end up having three pro football players from the DB’s he’s coached the last three years in a row. You go from Caleb Holden, Anthony Witherstone and Darion McKenzie is projected to be a 5th-6th round pick right now. All those guys were working right beneath him…he was also one of the best special teams coordinators in the country and that’s not just me being biased. The numbers will tell ya that. Punt blocks, kick off coverage, kick off return…super innovative and a guy that honestly was helping me run that program on a day-to-day basis, which is why we have him the associate head coach title. A really good, young and up-and-coming coach that has a bright future and will do really well here.”
Since the interview, Matt Schell (tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator) and Jesse Monteiro (cornerbacks coach) were also added to the staff.
With the transfer portal creating an insanely gross culture in college football daily, Curran talked about the importance of finding those genuine people, but also guys he knew weren’t just going to sell potential recruits a load of garbage.
“I think philisophically you want to make sure you’re on the same page. The things that are important to you and the values you have and the values you want for the program are in alignment with what this person’s values are. That’s an important piece. I think part of it…that’s how you sell too, right? If you believe in something and you believe in what a place stands for, it’s an easier sell when you’re sitting there talking to a family in their living room than it is when you’re just talking about the beautiful facilities and the fact that you’ve got a program with a long, good championship history and tradition. Those are great, but that only goes so far.
“I think you want to make sure you’ve got people that their values align with yours and they want the same values for the program as you do. It does help to have individuals that you feel can be really strong recruiters. I think that goes back to the original piece of people that are good with relationship building. Even if a guy hasn’t recruited for a long time, but you’ve seen them do a great job in their old staff really building relationships with the staff and players they were working with prior, those things all translate to recruiting. Some guys are obviously naturals being in front of people and they can sell and that’s great, but to me, that doesn’t have as much substance as building the relationships does.
“So, I’ve had coaches that are great recruiters that don’t necessarily walk into a room and own it, but they have a really good knack for connecting with people and work really hard at building that relationship and because of that, they’re really good recruiters. On the surface of it, you look and say ‘they’re not that alpha walking into a room and own it,’ but they add value in so many other ways. The ability to connect, being able to build relationships with recruits and their families is a super important piece. Not only to get talented players to come to your place, but retain them.”
Curran is currently the head coach at Holy Cross because of his ability to find those people throughout his career.
“I think that’s something we were able to do at Merrimack. Merrimack’s an awesome place, it’s a great community and it’s a big reason why I stayed as long as I did. I loved being there, I loved the players, the staff and the support staff. But, we didn’t have necessarily the bells and whistles and today’s day and age which is essentially just college free agency, it was rare for us to lose a lot of guys. I think that comes back to not just doing a good job when they get there, but building those relationships and having that foundation on the front end of the recruiting process. That’s something we want to duplicate here.
“We also want to be able to offer the degree of Holy Cross and the alumni network…it’s more incentive for kids that not only want to come here, but more importantly to stay. It’s all about player development. I was never a big transfer guy at Merrimack. At a place like Holy Cross, with the rules of the Patriot League, it limits what you can do. That’s fine because I’ve never been a big transfer guy anyways. It’s even more important you get it right on the front end, because you’re not going to get those plug-and-play guys. You’re going to bring guys in and build and develop them into the players you know they’re capable of being. It all comes back to that ability to build those relationships early in the process. Connect with them on a personal level beyond the football piece and not just sell the product of Holy Cross – which is a great one – but if that’s all you’re doing, I think you’re missing the boat.”
When the CAA programs unveiled their schedules on Wednesday of last week, it just so happened that Holy Cross appeared quite a bit on many of the local slates too. As a local guy through-and-through, Curran is thrilled he can continue to help showcase these rivalries with non-conference games that are becoming bigger and better year-by-year.
“I think it’s great,” he added. I think it’s great for the engagement with the fan bases and alumni for both programs. I think it’s great for college football in New England. It’s kind of come alive the last few years when you look at how many high-level programs are in this area now. I think it only just creates more interest with what’s going on with college football in New England. I love it. It creates a different incentive and motivation for both teams involved in it.
“At the end of the day, it’s about playing really good programs. You talk about the CAA, it doesn’t get much better than that. We’re familiar with all of those programs we’re going to be playing next year. I think it’s an exciting thing and for our guys they love the opportunity and relish it to get those chances. We always did at Merrimack and I have no doubt the boys will be that way here.”
The staff is set. The schedule is set. Recruiting trips are planned. Winter workouts will be here before you know it. Now, all that’s left is waiting for that awkward opener at Fitton Field in September against a uniform and logo he knows all too well.
“It’s going to be a little unique for me. My first home game will be against my alma mater (UNH), so it’ll be strange,” he added with a laugh. “I’m sure Coach (Sean) McDonnell will be at the game telling both me and (UNH head coach) Ricky (Santos) everything we’re doing wrong.”